


One sunny afternoon on the Isle of Patch

by Flexor



Category: RWBY
Genre: Becoming awesome again, Parenting Styles, Post-Volume 3, Recovery, Yang's gonna be OK
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-16 00:59:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7245799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flexor/pseuds/Flexor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If you were to cast a vote in the fandom about what's going to happen to poor Yang, I'm fairly certain that the consensus would be she'll be getting a cool robot arm.  If lowlife scum like Mercury Black can afford a cool pair of stilts, then Yang can certainly get a nice piece of Atlesian hardware to punch people with.</p>
<p>But... what if she doesn't? This story tells how Yang comes to terms with her setback, gently and lovingly nudged on a bit by her loving and doting mother Raven Branwen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One sunny afternoon on the Isle of Patch

**Author's Note:**

> Up to now, most of my stories have been compatible with each other, but I've already done a long one on How Yang Got Her Robo-Arm, so this one is separate from the others. Also, if you came here expecting incest... nope!
> 
> This story is meant to be canon-compatible. As far as I know, I'm not contradicting any of the Word of the Gods. At the time of writing, we've well and truly finished Season 3, and we have information at all about Season 4. This story will probably be obsolete by S4 Ep1.
> 
> If I'm not careful, I'll end up writing the whole of Season 4, and then Rooster Teeth won't get any revenue and Meg, Jessica and Barbara will be forced to sell pictures of themselves in very skimpy outfits to make ends meet.

A small, cosy cabin on the Isle of Patch, late morning. The sun shone over bright white patches of snow, promising that Spring wasn't far away. Inside the cabin, a young woman slept uneasily. She spent a lot of time in bed lately, but it had been a long time since she had a good night's sleep. She was alone. Father was off to school, teaching. Her sister had left on a new adventure. One of her friends had been taken home by her father. Her other friend had fled. The young woman had nothing to do but sleep, and stare out of the window, and wait for she knew not what. There was a soft, unworldly noise, and the young woman was no longer alone. Things were about to change. 

* * *

 

Yang Xiao Long woke up. There was a weight on her bed, as if someone was sitting on her feet. She tried to push herself up, and for the hundredth time, found she couldn't. Her right arm wasn't there anymore. She closed her eyes a moment, then rolled over and sat up.

She stopped and stared.

On the foot end of her bed sat a woman dressed in red. She had taken off her mask and put it in her lap. Her hair was black. Her eyes were red. A little smile was on her lips.

"Mother?"

"Hello Yang," said Raven. "You're a mess."

"I am. Is that all you've come to tell me?"

"No. I've come to knock you back in shape. We're going on a little trip, my daughter. And when we get back, you'll be a fighter again." There was a little curl to her lip. "Or dead. Either is better than..." she waved her hand. "This."

"Come to fix me have you? Qrow told me you weren't going to save me from any future dangers. Guess he was right."

"I have trouble of my own. I barely survived pulling you out of the fire when you were fighting that little psychopath. And then you go and just charge one of the nastiest swordsmen in Remnant today."

"He was going to kill my friend." Yang looked down on her knees.

"Is she alive?"

"Don't know. She ran off."

"You're alive, she's alive. You win."

Yang bared her teeth, raised what was left of her right arm.

"You call _this_ winning? I may as well be dead. I'm never going to fight again. What use am I like this?"

"Like this?" Raven sneered. "Worse than useless. Tai could be teaching you right now, with the other kids at Signal. You're keeping _him_ from being useful as well."

"What do you want me to do? Kill myself?"

Raven crossed her arms and sat up. "That's always an option. The other is you're coming with me. Due to some bizarre circumstances, I have a little time. Can't involve myself in the war right now. So I can give this 'mothering' a little go."

"Summer has been more of a mother to me than you will ever be."

"Are you _trying_ to annoy me?" Raven's voice sounded cold. "Do you think I had any choice in the matter?" She pointed out of the window. "Don't you realise that there's a _war_ on out there? I have been risking my neck for years and _years_ , trying to buy you idiots some time to get ready to fight. Sure, I could have stayed and rocked your cradle for you. But then, you wouldn't have lived to be even four. As for Summer..." Raven looked away. "She got lucky."

"She _died_."

"Yes."

Raven stood lost in thought for a moment, then abruptly turned round.

"Get your shoes on. We're leaving. I packed your bag for you."

"So after all these years, after I've lost my sister, my friends, my school, my _arm_ , you expect me to just hop up and follow you? You know what would have been really good? If you had been there at the Battle of Beacon. The whole Dust-sucking _circus_ was there! If you're such hot stuff, then wasn't that the place to be for you?"

"The Battle of Beacon was just a _side-show_! The only important thing that happened there was that those _idiots_ for some reason allowed that miserable excuse for a Fall Maiden to walk in and kill the _real_ Fall Maiden. _Twice!_ One little _girl_ pissed all over the full might of Vale and Atlas! They don't deserve to _live_! Meanwhile, I was out fighting the _real_ battles. Do you think that Cinder woman is the _real_ threat? Do you think those jumped-up _amateurs_ of the White Fang matter even a little bit? They're _pawns_. I'm out fighting the knights and bishops and rooks, and maybe even the _Queen_! I'm making you an offer, sweet child of mine. Do you want to lie here like a damn _vegetable_ , or do you want to play a part in the real battles?"

Yang's voice shook. "If you'd have asked me three months ago, I would have followed you to the ends of Remnant. Three months ago when I was whole. When I was a fighter. Now, I can't. I'm nothing! _Look_ at me! What can I do? You're too late. Just leave me alone."

Yang lay back down and started to turn over, her back to Raven. Raven dropped Yang's bag on the floor and leapt on top of Yang. Her hands shot out and grabbed Yang by the throat. Raven's crimson eyes bored into Yang's from a foot away.

"No child of mine is just going to lie in bed wilting away till there's nothing left. You are a warrior, from a line of warriors. There is a choice in front of you, and the choice is _now_." Raven's hands tighened on her daughter's throat, cutting off her breath. "Yang Xiao Long, make your choice. Fight or die."

For one painful, frightening moment, nothing happened apart from the last seconds of Yang's life draining away. Then, in a snap, Yang's eyes burned red. Her hair lit up as she gathered every last drop of her strength. Her left fist came round with predatory speed, and connected with Raven's face. Raven went flying, almost breaking the window. Yang turned round, swung her fist at Raven again, but she blocked it and grabbed Yang's arm. She touched her lip with her other hand, looked at the blood on it and gave Yang the brightest, happiest, wildest grin.

"Right. Fight it is, then." 

* * *

 

Yang dressed for warm weather. Shorts, T-shirt. Taiyang had given her shoes without laces. Raven dropped a note where Taiyang would find it, then handed Yang her sports bag.

"Get ready."

Raven drew her sword. From her pocket she took a small glass bottle. With the utmost care and precision, she ran the liquid from the bottle over the red blade of her sword. She slashed it down once and a red glowing circle appeared in the middle of Yang's bedroom. Raven nodded her head.

"Step through. Keep walking, I'll be right behind."

Yang gave Raven one look, then stepped into the portal. There was a brief sense of falling, a noise like the crack of thunder. Yang found herself in a room with a wooden floor. The first light of dawn came in through the window. The place smelled of the sea. Birds were starting to wake up, singing out their challenge to the new day.

Yang took a few steps, and Raven joined her. The portal disappeared. Raven took Yang's bag from her, dropped it on the floor and unlocked a cupboard.

"Welcome to _Nead na Fiach Dubh._ Here. Take this."

She held out a sword in its scabbard. Yang gave Raven a strange look, then drew it. It was a straight arming sword, with a thin crossguard, much like the sword Jaune Arc used, only sharper towards the point, making it more suitable to thrusting, piercing armour.

"What is _this_?"

"This, my dear daughter, is what we practitioners of the martial arts call a _sword_."

Yang sneered. "What do you want me to do with it?"

"Kill people," said Raven. She put her red blade up against the wall, pulled a sword identical to Yang's out of the cupboard, and leaned on it. "When I talked to Qrow about getting you here, he said you'd have some difficult questions for me. So far..."

"You want me to train using a sword?"

"Yes!"

"I hate swords. Stupid bits of metal, and if you drop them, you are stuffed. Bare fists don't..."

Raven raised an eyebrow.

Yang looked at her a moment, glanced down, scowled.

"Bitch."

Raven chuckled. "Oh sweet child of mine, don't call me a bitch _now_. You'll have much more reason to later."

Raven stepped up next to Yang, held out her sword, one hand behind her back.

"They did put a sword in your hand back at Signal, I hope?"

"Yeah. But that was years-"

"Good. Show me how much you remember. Same stance as me."

"What? One hand behind my back?"

Raven gave her daughter a cruel smile. "Well, this is a one handed sword for obvious reasons. I'm holding my hand behind my back so I don't cut myself. Luckily for you..." She savoured the filthy look Yang gave her. "Now _stance_!"

Yang breathed in, out again, then held out her sword. Raven looked her over once or twice, nodded.

"Good. Now a lunge. Like this."

Raven sprang forward and stabbed an imaginary enemy. Yang copied her move.

"Again. Like you mean it."

Yang stabbed out again, then looked round at Raven.

"What's the use of this? I've been a fist fighter all my life. I was a _good_ fist fighter. Best case, you're going to turn me into a mediocre crippled sword fighter."

Raven moved like water. Her sword swept round, and hit Yang's sword hard. Even before Yang's sword clattered to the floor, Raven's came round in a silver flash of steel, stopping a splinter of an inch short of Yang's throat.

"If I hear _one_ more whinge coming out of you, I swear I'll chop your head off and start fucking Tai again for another try! We have six weeks. Of course you won't get good enough to take on that Dust sucking White Fang scumbag. Not in that time. But you _will_ get good enough to kill enough of our enemies to make a difference."

Yang looked into Raven's eyes, a fiery red. Her own eyes only turned to that colour when she was angry. Maybe Raven... Maybe Mother was _always_ angry. With one finger, she pushed Raven's blade away. She bent down and picked up her sword. Took her stance.

"Good," said Raven. "Now let's find something to cut." 

 

They walked outside. The house was all made of wood. Green trees grew behind the house, and the other side gave way to sand-dunes, with the sea behind. A shed was nearby, and when Raven opened the door, Yang saw stacks and stacks of bamboo poles, man-high, neatly tied in bundles. Raven grabbed one end and nodded at Yang to take the other. They carried out a few stacks. Raven stuck two poles in the ground in holes specially made for them. She picked up her sword.

"Now watch," said Raven.

With calm, easy strokes, Raven sliced the top off her pole until it was only knee high. She picked up a piece and showed Yang the smooth edge.

"You try. Strength is nothing here. Edge alignment is important. Make sure the edge of your sword points _exactly_ in the direction of your stroke."

Yang tried. The bamboo pole cracked and a piece hung off to the side. Yang sneered.

"Did you give me the blunt sword?"

Without a word, Raven took Yang's sword, cut off the hanging bit, then sliced off the top of the pole as neatly as before. She handed Yang her sword back.

"Looks fine to me. Like I said, edge alignment. No more excuses, missy. Try again."

Yang tried again. This time, the top came off. Raven picked up the piece.

"Better. Keep practicing. Diagonal up strokes. Don't worry about running out, this stuff grows almost as fast as you can chop it down."

Raven stood back as Yang started cutting again. She was improving with every stroke, but then she had been trained before. The bamboo was old and smooth, making it harder to cut cleanly. Her pole ran out, and Raven put in another. With success came confidence, then boredom, then _over_ confidence. Yang started to jump back and forth with her strokes. Her cuts went to pot again, but she compensated with more strength.

"Yang. Stop showing off. _Concentrate_. When every cut is clean, _then_ we'll get on with the next step."

Yang stopped a moment. "Aren't we going to spar?"

"No. First, your sword must become like your finger. You wouldn't learn anything from sparring with me now. Keep going."

Yang's eyes narrowed and she started her boring cuts again. Raven watched her a while, then turned round to the house.

"I'm going to make lunch. Keep practicing." 

 

Raven called, and Yang walked into the house. She showed Raven one of her off-cuts. Raven nodded, putting down bowls of noodles.

"When they're all like that, we'll start on down cuts. Maybe in a few days."

Yang sat down, picking up her chopsticks. "I thought we had only a few weeks. Shouldn't I be learning more cuts?"

Raven sat down across from Yang and started on her noodles. Good energy-rich carbohydrates. She pointed her chopsticks at Yang.

"Fear not the warrior who has practiced ten thousand strokes once. Fear the warrior who has practiced _one_ stroke ten thousand times."

Yang stared. "So what am I going to do the rest of the afternoon?"

Raven sucked up a noodle. "Diagonal up cuts. You're going to practice them in your dreams. In your nightmares. But if you do well, we'll do something _fun_ this evening." She pointed at Yang's bowl. "Eat up, dear. you've got nine thousand strokes still to go." 

 

"So," said Yang. She pulled out the end of the pole and put in a new one. "Where have you been all my life?"

Yang started cutting again. Raven looked far, far away.

"Fighting. Grimm mostly. Mopping with the taps open. There'll always be more Grimm, but there's enemies out there who aren't mindless beasts. We can't defeat them by strength. The harder we hit, the stronger they become."

Yang struck out again. Still too much bounce and not enough cut.

"So whatever we do, we can't win?"

"Ultimately, anything that draws breath lives on borrowed time. The best we can hope for is to enjoy the ride. But to defeat _this_ threat, we need to be cunning and clever. Brute force won't help here."

Yang's shoulder was starting to feel like it was on fire. The price you pay for staying in bed all day, every day. She had to admit that she was enjoying this. The rhythmic thwacks of her sword hitting the poles had a meditative effect that was almost soothing. When she concentrated, she could slice off pieces cleanly, but when she tried allowing her sub-conscious to take over, it all went wrong again. Yang understood the principle of long practice, building up muscle memory. She had learnt to punch the same way. But it had taken her years to perfect her right hook. If they had only a month and a half, at best she'd be a noob at the end of it. But telling that to Mother would get her nothing.

"This place. Is it yours?"

"Yes. Well, mine and Qrow's. It used to be my father's hunting lodge."

"It's nice."

Raven looked round. "Exactly six weeks and two days from now, it'll be burnt to the ground. I'll miss it."

Yang closed her eyes a moment, concentrating, then started chopping again. She had searched for this woman so long. Scouring all likely and unlikely places for information. Now that she was standing next to her at last, and would be for the next couple of weeks, she couldn't think of anything to say. Yang had been looking forward to this moment, imagining it to be the answer to all of her questions. What happened? Why did you leave me? Why didn't you save me? But all the answers turned out to be the ones she could have figured out for herself. Finding Mother had been the most important part of her life, the only thing apart from fighting that had held her attention for more than a few weeks. The things that had happened, her defeat at the hands of Adam Taurus, being reduced to nothing but a burden on other people, had made this moment insignificant. An anti-climax. She felt _nothing_. Yang's strokes became sloppy, but she didn't care and just hit harder. The aches in her shoulder were something she could feel, when her mind couldn't wrap itself around the fact that _she had found her mother and she didn't care anymore_.

"Yang."

" _What?!_ " Yang turned her head to her mother, fighting back her tears.

"Time to stop. Let's have dinner."

Yang only nodded and turned towards the house, looking at the ground.

"Yang?"

"Yes?"

Yang felt Raven's hand on her right shoulder.

"I'm glad you're here." 

* * *

 

"Let's have some fun."

Yang looked at Raven. "What? Even more fun than chopping up bamboo poles? Is that even possible?"

"Don't get sarky with me, young lady."

Raven walked to a set of bookshelves and pulled out the 'G' volume of an encyclopedia. She reached in between the books. there was a click, and then the whole bookshelf came rolling out, revealing a wall on which hung every kind of gun from in-sleeve pea shooters to Goliath guns. Raven selected two large caliber revolvers and took a box of bullets from a drawer. Another drawer produced a belt and holster.

"Come here."

Raven reached round and put the belt round Yang's waist, fastening the buckle for her. Yang looked at her mother from up close for the first time in at least fifteen years. She looked nothing like the frightful apparition she had been when she had saved Yang from death. There were lines on her face. She had changed into sailcloth trousers and a tight halter top. She wasn't wearing a bra. Didn't need to. That part of Yang's personality came from her father's side of the family. Her arms and shoulders were bare, muscular and strong like Yang's own... give or take one. She was wearing a thin necklace with dark beads. Raven had the scars of at least one knife or sword wound, and two bullet wounds, pale white echoes of adventures past. She wore her long black hair loose like Yang did.

Raven tightened the belt and looked up. They found themselves looking into each other's eyes. To Yang, red eyes meant aggression. Anger. But Raven seemed relaxed. They stood for a few moments, simply looking at each other. Raven held up one of the revolvers. Yang took it and put it in the holster.

They walked outside. For some strange reason, the whole yard was strewn with bits of bamboo. Raven grabbed an armfull and put them on a nearby brick wall. She turned round to see Yang with her weapon tucked under her right arm, loading it. Five rounds, one empty chamber, hammer on the empty one.

"Now then," said Raven, loading her own gun. "Let's see how good-"

There were five rapid loud bangs, and Raven looked over her shoulder to see five of the targets had disappeared. She looked back at a big grin on Yang's face as she was pushing five more cartridges into the revolver.

"That was... passable."

"Are you kidding me? That was _easy_! Remember, I used to have two shotguns strapped to my wrists. I'm a regular McCree with a handgun."

Raven sneered. "Then why didn't you use them when you were facing that swordsman?"

"Have you _seen_ me fight? My combined punch and shotgun blast is enough to bring down an Ursa..." She sighed. "Was."

Raven raised her own gun, aimed carefully, fired. One of the bamboo bits flew off the wall. Before she could fire again, there were five more bangs, and all the other targets disappeared. Yang holstered her gun that had become too hot to tuck under her arm.

"You don't use guns in battle much, do you?"

Raven shook her head. "Not anymore."

"So if you got into a fight with Adam Taurus. The scariest sword fighter on Remnant. What would _you_ do?"

"Rush him."

"That's what I did. Didn't work out so well."

"I have a sword. And I'm better than he is. By a large margin." Raven stuck her gun in her belt. "Come. I've got something for you." 

 

They walked back into the house. Raven unlocked a separate drawer, and pulled out a wooden box. She put it on the table, snapped open the locks, then pushed it to Yang.

"Go on. Open it. It's yours."

Yang opened the lid. Neatly tucked into the green felt lay a heavy dual-ammo semi-automatic pistol. With its dark metal barrels, its smoked wood grip, it oozed menace. Gunmen are often reminded never to point a weapon at anything they are unwilling to destroy. This gun looked like it had reminded people of that important rule.

Yang looked up. "May I..."

"Go ahead. It's yours."

Yang took it out. It felt heavy. Yang had never been one to imbue her weapons with personalities like her little sister Ruby did. But _this_ weapon felt like it was growling in her hand, eager, hungry. Yang stretched her arm, looked down the sight. It had two triggers, one for accurate magnum rifle bullets, one for Dust shot. And of course, you could pull both at the same time. This was precisely the kind of weapon that Beacon Academy would keep right the hell away from the first-years because they'd end up killing themselves with it, or tuition-paying students. Yang turned the gun round in her hand, drinking in every detail with her eyes.

Raven stood there, laughing quietly at her. "Would you and your gun like to have a few moments alone?"

"Hell no!" said Yang. "Got any..."

Raven wordlessly held up a big box. Yang put the gun on the table and started to thumb cartridges into the magazine. They calmly, _calmly_ , walked outside again. Raven put up a few more targets, walked back to Yang.

"Fire at will."

"Will's gonna die," said Yang.

She aimed. Pulled the trigger. Handguns normally have a short, sharp rapport. This gun went off with a dull boom that resonated in Yang's chest. The bamboo target turned to tiny splinters, and the shot took a big chunk of the wall with it. Yang's eyes opened wide. She slowly looked round to Raven with her jaw on the ground.

"I'd kick your butt for that," said Raven. "But the whole place is going sky-high anyway. Come on. Can you hit the other targets as well?"

Yang raised her new baby and made it roar till both its twenty-round magazines were empty.

"Cheers love," she said, looking over her shoulder at Raven. "The artillery is here." 

* * *

 

Raven leaned back in her comfortable chair in front of the fireplace. A large pot of tea was on a tealight. Unlike her brother Qrow, who was pretty much marinated in brandy, Raven never drank anything alcoholic. Next to her, Yang was sitting on the ground, stripping her new weapon with one hand and a crafting vise clamped to the coffee table. It was going slowly, but steadily. The parts were neatly laid out on a white cloth. Raven watched her working, watched the little pangs of frustration as she couldn't get some part out with her left hand. Watched the determination on Yang's face with a feeling that she supposed was motherly pride. What a difference with the sad little heap of misery she picked up this morning.

" _Hope_ , you bitch," she whispered to herself. "We'll beat you yet."

With all the parts laid out neatly and cleaned, Yang picked up her teacup, took a small sip.

"Does this thing have a name?"

"When you show it to Tai, you should know that this weapon has a bit of family history." Raven put down her cup, turned to Yang. "This is the gun that killed Summer."

"Mom..." Yang corrected herself. "Summer was killed by this thing?"

"Yes." Raven's face was perfectly still. "One shot to the head, and she was gone."

"Did you get the guy who did it? And take his gun?"

"No."

Yang carefully studied Raven's face, but she could read nothing on it, not a shred of emotion. Which in itself was a clue.

"Guns don't kill people," said Yang. " _People_ kill people. Do you know who did it?"

"Yes."

Yang waited.

Raven's eyes turned sad. "Yang, we have too little time together for me to keep things hidden from you. Anything you ask me, I will answer. Do you really want to know more?"

"Yes," said Yang. "Who killed Summer, Mom?"

"I did."

"But... Why?"

"Because not killing her would have been worse."

"Was she... hurt? Wounded?"

"No. Not exactly. I promise I will tell you the whole story, Yang. But not tonight."

Raven sat down in front of Yang, and reassembled the gun that had killed her teammate, Yang's stepmother, her husband's lover, mother of his second child. Once more, she went over the events in her head. Like every time before, she came to the same conclusion.

"This gun does have a name," said Raven. "It's called 'Mercy'." 

* * *

 

Yang stood between four bamboo poles. Using all the cutting techniques she had practiced so far, pivoting on one leg, she reduced them all to neat slices. Raven stood a little off to the side, watching her. Yang had come a long way in just a few days, but of course, she was not new to fighting. Raven indulged herself in a little moment of satisfaction with her daughter's progress.

Good.

Time for the next step.

Raven stepped forward and drew her sword.

"Yang?"

She turned round. "Yes?"

"Hit me."

Yang asked no questions, but slashed out. Raven parried.

"Again. Pay attention to how I block you."

Yang attacked again, trusting Raven to handle anything she could throw at her. After a few more strokes, Raven started to hit back. Easy at first, but quickly increasing in speed. There was something quite beautiful in the way Raven moved, in perfect balance, perfect confidence, clearly going nowhere near her full speed and strength.

"When I see Weiss again..." Yang sprang forward. "I'm gonna kick her butt."

"Less conversation, more action."

Yang feinted to one side, flicked her sword round. Raven met her every move.

"Try harder."

"If I kill you, can I have your gun collection?"

"If you're still alive at the end of this month, you can pick anything you want. Now shut up and fight." 

 

They stopped for a rest and a drink of water. Raven sat back, eyes closed, face turned up to the sun. Yang studied her closely. She didn't look tired at all. She could do this all day.

"Am I gonna see you going full out this month?"

Raven kept her eyes closed as she smiled. "Probably not. Unless we get unexpected visitors. I've been doing this a long time. But don't let that keep you from trying, you may get lucky."

"Am I gonna get good enough to keep Cinder Fall and the White Fang from overthrowing the Vale government?"

"If they want to overthrow the government, I'll be there cheering them on."

"Heh."

"Think I'm joking? Humanity won't survive even a century with _those_ jokers in charge. The sooner we get rid of them, the better."

"Oh come on! The government does good work. Hospitals. Schools. Streets. Companies. They know what they're doing."

"Oh they know what they're doing all right. Once they get strong enough to rule people who don't want to be ruled, it's time for a change." Raven rolled her shoulders. "Luckily, they haven't a clue about what they're up against. Once Salem's lot chucks them into the sea, there may be some hope for Humanity yet."

"And then what? They're our best hope of defeating the enemy. With them gone, we're next."

"You've got that backwards. _We_ are next, and then _they_ will be long gone."

Yang got up, swished her sword a few times. "Then who are _you_ with?"

Raven looked up at Yang, standing silhouetted in the light of the setting sun, red beams of sunlight shining through her hair. Raven could see that for the first time in a long while, Yang wasn't thinking about her lost arm at all.

"You," said Raven. "I'm with you." 

 

"You know, I was expecting to _start_ by sparring." Yang dipped a hunk of bread in a bowl of soup and took a big bite, hot soup dripping down her chin.

"Why?"

"Oh come on. You read books don't you? It's always the same. The unwilling student comes to train with _Sensei_. What is the use of this, I already know it all, sort of thing. And then Sensei beats some respect into the student, and then he's humbled and sees the error of his ways, and it's all hunkey-dorey from there. I mean, _now_ I've learnt all your tricks, and I'm awesome. Missed your chance there."

Raven poured herself another cup of green tea. "Knock some discipline into you, you mean? You read too much of that Berdioler woman's brainrot."

"It's _comfort_ reading. You could have. Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"You're not a child anymore. It's not my job to discipline you, it's yours. True order comes from within, not from above."

"That's why you don't like the government? Because they impose order on you?"

"Partly," said Raven. "Mostly because the Council is made up of control freak weasels and the Atlas high-ups aren't any better. Useless tossers the lot of them. We can do better ourselves."

Yang looked at Raven. She was completely serious. "Is there nobody you'd follow?"

Raven thought for a few moments. "It depends on whether I trust them. I'd follow Qrow, up to a point. He's an idiot, but he's not _stupid_. I followed Summer in Team STRQ, because she was ten times as smart as I was. Ozpin. But very few others."

Yang swept up the last bit of soup with her bread and looked at it before putting it in her mouth.

"It's kinda nice to know that there's someone there who'll always know what to do even if you don't."

"And then you grow up," said Raven. "When I was a child, I thought as a child, but now I am a woman, and have put away childish things." Raven looked at Yang, her striking bright red eyes softening. "You're not a little girl anymore, Yang. You're a grown woman. It's your turn at the wheel. And I promise you, nothing will feel better than that."

"I am the captain of my soul," said Yang. 

 

It was a thing mothers did, or so Raven had been told. This time, stolen from the Gods, was hers and hers alone to spend. She would spend it doing the one thing denied to her all these years. Simply to be a mother. She listened at the door to Yang's bedroom, and hearing nothing, opened it. Yang was asleep. She lay on her right side, the ungainly stump of arm beneath her. With a quiet smile, she noticed Yang's left arm twitching in her sleep. Practicing even in her dreams. Raven leaned against the door frame, unwilling even to blink for fear of missing any of this. Refusing to think of any moment in time but this. Breathing slowly. She whispered Yang good night, closed the door, quieter than quiet, and went to her own bed. 

* * *

 

"Vaccines," said Yang.

"What about them," said Raven.

"They're basically diseases with their teeth pulled out. They teach your body to fight the real diseases. You can't invent those in your garden shed. You need a big university for that. An army of scientists. And you need a big government to do that."

"Looks to me like they promote unhealthy living. Why not avoid getting sick by keeping to small groups? People's bodies have been fighting off diseases since the dawn of time. The really bad diseases only came up when people moved to cities."

"You've had your shots, haven't you?"

"Of course. It would be foolish not to now we have them. And with everybody stacked up on top of each other, we need tham. Typical. Get us into trouble first, and then expect us to sing their praise for getting us out again."

Yang tucked her belt buckle under her right arm to do it up with her left, then dropped it down to her waist. She hung her pistol on her left hip, putting the strap round her thigh. Her scabbard with her sword went on the right. They walked outside. Raven drew her own sword.

"Well, since we're talking about your body fighting off things, I'm really going to try to hit you now. Aura ready?"

"Bring it on!" 

 

Yang sat down on the ground, face flushed, skin glowing with sweat. The aftereffect of two cuts on her thigh and one on her arm were slowly wearing off. Aura healing was perhaps the greatest blessing anyone on Remnant could have received, but still, it hurt like hell. For her part, Yang hadn't even touched Raven once. Raven stepped over to the water butt and poured a ladle of water over Yang's head. Yang wasn't even mad. She welcomed the cool shower.

"Almost had me there, my daughter."

"No I didn't."

"Look at me. I'm shaking!" Raven held out her hand which, needless to say, was steady as a rock.

"You're not even left-handed," said Yang.

"Neither are you." Raven sat down next to Yang, their knees almost touching. "Joking aside, Yang. You are doing well. Better than I would have expected."

"Would be nice if I got a hit in now and then." Yang grinned. "Then I can challenge you to single-handed combat!"

Raven blinked, turned her eyes to Yang. "Was that an _arm_ joke?"

"A-yep."

"Hm. Well it wasn't very good."

"Just getting my hand in afer a long time away."

Raven shook her head. "This is going to be a long afternoon."

Yang leaned over and put as much of her arms as she had left round her mother. Raven held her breath. Slowly, hesitantly, Raven's hands found their way to Yang's back. And breathe out.

"Good," said Yang. 

 

It was the end of the afternoon, and Yang was richer by experience, and poorer by illusions. Let's face it, she was _never_ going to be as good as Raven. Even though it now _hurt_ when she parried a stroke wrong, Raven was _still_ going easy on her. This wasn't even because of her arm. They were both only using their left arms anyway. There was only one conclusion: Yang wasn't even half the sword fighter Raven was, and would never be. The worst thing was that she couldn't even use her Semblance. Yang needed great big wallops to the body, so she could absorb and store the kinetic energy that once made her the powerhouse she was. Cuts and pinpricks didn't do it.

Raven saw the signs. Yang had had enough. They walked inside and started cooking dinner. Yang put the bowls on the table and put on the kettle for green tea. Raven put the pot on the table and served up. Yang leaned her right arm on the table and toyed with her food.

"Hey."

Yang looked up, her eyes dull.

"What's the matter?" said Raven.

"We've been practicing for three weeks now. I'm still no better than I was."

"That's not true," said Raven. "The Yang of a few weeks ago wouldn't stand a chance against you now."

"Three weeks ago, I wouldn't even have gotten out of bed to fight anyone who'd want to kill me."

"Yang, you're whingeing again. Stop it. You nearly punched my lights out when I grabbed your throat."

"Sorry."

" _Don't_ apologise. That punch in the face showed me that I was right about you. You may have been down for a while, but never out."

Yang sat up, and gave Raven a long searching look. "You said you'd answer any question I'd have for you. Did you mean that?"

"Yes. Do you have a question?"

Yang put down her chopsticks, and held the stump of her right arm with her left arm, just below the shoulder, where it still felt normal. Her eyes found Raven's.

"If I hadn't punched you in the face. If I'd just have waited to die. If I'd refused to come here with you. If I'd said 'no'."

"Yes?"

"Would you really have killed me?"

Raven looked down for a few moments, hesitating. When she looked up again, her eyes were hard, steady.

"Yang, you are my daughter. Flesh of my flesh. Blood of my blood. Spirit of my spirit. I knew, like I know myself, that you would rise up the way that you did. I have more confidence in you than in anyone else in this world. If I had not had that confidence, then I would never have come to Patch. If I had not known from the depth of my heart that you were worth the effort, then I would have stayed away. I never doubted you."

Yang took a slow breath.

"But," said Raven, "If you would not have stopped me, if you would not have come here of your own free will, then you would have died that day."

"Why?"

"Because of who you are. You are not destined to rot away in some shithole in the butt end of the world. You were meant to burn as a shining beacon of hope to all. And believe me, Yang, you will. You are worth everything I've had to do to get you here."

"What did you have to do?"

Raven leaned back in her chair. "What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought? Bought yourself. With your own blood, sweat, and tears."

"Bumblebee. My motorcycle." Yang took a short breath. "Oh gods. I need to find a way to ride her again."

"Why did you buy that bike?"

"I saw it in Lily's shop. At a fraction of the price becuse some company had bought it to put half naked chicks on for ads, and then went under when Schnee Dust Company came in. It was blue then, the yellow is a custom paint job. And I just _knew_ that I needed it. That it was a part of my _body_." Yang's eyes shone. "Dad bought it for me, to keep anyone else from buying it, but he never let me ride it until I'd earned the money. The jobs I've done! Cleaning. Waiting tables. Delivery. Jobs at concerts, running tech. Running security. Working in port, cleaning fish. Anything nobody else would do, and everything anyone else _did_ want to do but I got in before them. But I _did_ it. I started when I was fourteen. I bought her off Dad when I was sixteen. I'd have done _anything_. I'd have sold _myself_ for that bike if Dad had let me."

"Why?"

"Because riding her... it's _freedom_. It's life, on the edge between life and death. It's..." Yang shook her head. "Let me make you a promise. When all this is over, I'll take you riding. And then, you'll understand."

Raven reached into her pocket and put on the table the little bottle that Yang had seen her empty over her sword before coming here.

"I've bought lots of expensive things in my life. Houses like this one. Cars. Swords. I could buy the whole of Patch for the price of my Dust blades. And I _have_ done things that my dad wouldn't have let me if he were alive. But that bottle has cost me more than everything else combined. More than money."

Yang picked it up. It was empty. She looked at Raven.

"What is it?"

"Time," said Raven. " _This_ time. This time with you. I got this from Ozpin, and I pretty nearly _did_ sell my soul to get it."

Yang frowned. "What do you mean? Time in a bottle?"

"It means that if you'd get off this island, and run back to Patch to go back to bed, you would find it occupied. We have travelled back in time exactly six weeks and three days. I went to find you on the day that _Nead na Fiach Dubh_ was destroyed. I know when that will happen. Until then, we will be perfectly safe here because I already know that nobody will come here. This is my time. _Our_ time."

"What..." Yang's mouth was dry. "What did this cost you?"

"I have pledged my allegiance to the Wizard Ozpin. I have sworn that whatever he asks of me, I will do. Even if he orders me to die. Which he may."

"But for how long?"

"Until I die, or he dies, or he releases me."

"Mother... You didn't have to do that. Not for me!"

"Wrong, my child. You are exactly the one person I would do this for." 

* * *

 

"We're going to have a visitor today," said Raven. "Or rather, I am going to have a visitor. You can't be seen here. So I'm afraid you're going to have a day of camping out. Maybe go to the beach. I am a cruel mother."

"Oo! Boyfriend?"

Raven gave Yang a strange look. 'Raven' and 'Boyfriend' were two things not often mentioned in the same sentence. "Hardly. Demolitions expert, if you must know. Named Bates."

"You're going to blow something up?"

"Yes. This place. Because of how we got here, I know exactly when the location of _Nead na Fiach Dubh_ will be betrayed, and I know exactly when my enemies will come to murder me in my bed and raze my home to the ground." A grim look was on Raven's face. Grim looks came too easily to her. "In force. I've gained a bit of a reputation with Salem's lot. So rather than having to chop them all down, which would take all week, I thought I'd blow them up."

"Seems like a shame. I like this place."

"So do I. But it's a hiding place, not a fortress. Can't allow property to rule you, and I'm going to enjoy watching those bastards be blown to bits. But Bates only expects me here. If he sees you, he'll get suspicious and bolt. So enjoy your day off. If you keep up a good pace, you can walk round the island in maybe six hours."

"Okay. Want me to try and hunt up something for the pot?"

"Only seagulls here, and they taste horrible." 

 

Raven dressed in her red battle outfit. Yang dressed in shorts and a tank top. She put her pistol on her left hip, her sword on her right, lunch and a towel in a small backpack. Just to confuse the stuffing out of her mother, she kissed Raven on the cheek, waved, and set off for a day of fun.

The island was beautiful. Sandy beaches, endless sea. Yang had never wondered where exactly they were, but she guessed somewhere in the South Sea of Vacuo. There weren't any coconut trees, which was just silly. How can you be a proper castaway without coconuts? Also, the water was not the expected see-through water. It was dark and green with algae. Yang took off her shoes and walked on the firm bit of sand between sea and land. Now and then, a wave would come creeping up the beach, splash her feet, and then sneak off again giggling to itself.

After a couple of hours walking, Yang found the perfect place for lunch, a bay with two arms of rock reaching out to sea, breaking up the waves in great splashes of spray. She dropped her pack at the foot of a tree, then pulled open the buckle on her weapons belt. If she put the buckle on the last hole, she could slide it off her hips and avoid the hassle of buckling it up again afterwards. She had learnt more little tricks in these last few weeks than she had in months of staying at home. In bed. Raven was right. She'd just been waiting, every morning hoping that she would somehow, magically, be whole again. Yang looked at her stump. The skin on the end was smooth. The doctors had rounded off the end of her bone and folded a flap of skin over it, connecting the muscles together so she could still tense up her bicep. The wound had healed, and it almost looked like it had always been like that. She could lean on it, and it didn't hurt. It wasn't completely useless. She could wear a backpack. She could hold things under her arm, like her bra strap when she put it on. But every night, she still dreamt of herself having a right arm, and every morning, she lost it again.

Yang walked out, into the sea. With every step, the water was deeper. Up to her knees. Up to her thighs, almost up to her shorts. Yang cast her mind back to a time when she would have simply continued on walking, then swimming, then drowning. She egged herself on. Go on. The sea is cool and welcoming, and you will dream of being whole, forever. Yang stood still and looked out over the vast expanse of water. There was nothing out there. She looked over her shoulder at the island, with its trees, the hills, the house. And her mother. Yang smiled. She took one more step, and then suddenly, the floor fell away and Yang stepped into the deep. Her head went under, and she struck out to rise up again, suddenly missing the resistance of her right arm, but struggling to get to the top. She burst through the surface spluttering and suddenly laughed madly, making big splashes with both her arms, kicking up the water. She thought of the things in her pockets. Nothing that would spoil. She turned onto her back and simply floated for a while. Then, she kicked out and swam back to shore. She glanced down at herself, and found her top and bra had gone completely transparent. She looked round, but there was nobody watching. Not that Yang much minded exposing herself to the right people, but there was such a thing as timing and finesse. Make the boy's eyes pop at precisely the right time. She found a nice place in the sun and sat down to dry up, remembering not to lean back on her right arm. She wondered at her thoughts. She hadn't thought about boys for a long time. When was the last time? Run-up to the Vytal festival. She and her team-mate Blake had sneaked out of their dorm leaving the _nice_ girls sleeping. Blake had found Sun Wukong, a bad boy from Team SSSN, Mistral. She'd kept the details to herself, but they'd kept their clothes on, apparently. Yang's catch had been a pretty eager Atlas boy, but a horrible kisser, who wouldn't take hints. She'd ditched him using the old girl's room maneuver and later spotted him with a dog faunus from Vacuo.

Blake.

Her closest friend in the world, apart from her little sister.

She had simply disappeared after the Battle of Beacon. Yang had no idea where she'd gone, what state her mind had been in, even whether she was still alive. Ruby, before she'd left on her adventure, had given her all the love she had to give, and Yang had simply bounced it off. Dad had kept her fed, pulled her out of bed, kept her from going completely comatose. But what Yang had missed most, was knowing that Blake was behind her, watching her back as Yang was watching hers. A solid, comforting presence, all confidence, courage, power. Simply gone. Yang almost missed her more than she missed her arm.

Yang pulled out a couple of tuna sandwiches, and ate them thinking of Blake. Blake would have eyed them hungrily, and Yang would have given them to her, swapping for chicken or mature cheese. It was almost a ritual. Blake could easily have made her own tuna sandwiches, but instead made Yang's favourites just so she could swap with her. Yang looked out over the sea, in the vague direction of Vale, mixing happy memories with sadness.

"Where are you, Kitty Cat?" 

 

Yang was thinking about getting up and continuing on, when there was something moving in the corner of her eye. Someone was walking along the beach. He spotted Yang's footprints in the sand, looked up ahead, and saw her. Yang quickly looked down. Her top was dry, modesty had been restored. The boy? Man? He came walking up to her. He was wearing half-long trousers, a tight T-shirt showing his muscles. He had scraggly black hair, and a saber at his belt. Yang got up and half-turned her good side towards him. He stopped and smiled at her.

"Hello. What's a beautiful girl like you doing all alone in a place like this?"

Yang laughed. Getting the compliments in nice and early, are we?

"I'm a hot blonde," said Yang. "The beach is my natural habitat."

"Do you _live_ here?"

"No, just staying. With my mom."

"Hmm. What does your mom look like?"

" _Look_ like?" Yang frowned, then sparkled at the man again. "Well... Who do you think I got my looks from?"

"But her hair is black, isn't it?"

"Uhh..." Yang looked him over once or twice. "Nope. Nobody here but us blondes. Actually, what's the time? I think I should probably get back."

The man gave her a sad smile, and shook his head. "Oh girl. I can't let you do that."

"What?"

"Close your eyes, sweetheart. I'll be quick about it."

" _What?!_ No! Please!"

Yang's weapons belt was a couple dozen yards away under the trees. She backed away a step, judging distance. Her eyes opened wide. Her breath came in little whimpers.

" _Please_!"

The man's hand went to his sword, and at exactly the moment it was half out of its scabbard, Yang's leg shot up as though a trigger had been pulled. She kicked him solidly in the head, sending him reeling back. Yang shot away to the shade under the trees, and picked up her weapons belt as she ran. She looked over her shoulder. The man was back on his feet, and was running after her. He had his sword out. Yang quickly stepped into her belt, tightened it round her waist, then ran on. She looked back. He was too close to draw Mercy and fire. He looked like a professional swordsman. Better not risk the fight. She ran in among the trees on bare feet. She hadn't run fifty yards, when she stepped on something sharp, tripped, and fell. In the moments it took her to get back to her feet, he had caught up with her.

"Got you, you little bitch!"

He slashed his sword down at her, and Yang could only just jump out of the way. She whipped out her own sword. Fight it was, then. The man struck out, once, twice. Yang parried.

"You could have had it easy." He stabbed at Yang. She managed to deflect the thrust.

"Now, I'm going to make it _hurt_." He struck again. Yang dodged. "Now, I'm going to make it _last_."

Yang's heart pounded in her throat. She wondered how long she could keep him away from her.

The man advanced, struck out again. "I'm going to cut off your other arm, too. I'm going to make _all_ your nightmares come true." A horrible grin was on his face. "I'm going to enjoy watching you bleed to death."

Yang slowly retreated, fending off the blows. He was _toying_ with her. He was going to describe all the things he was going to do to her, and then... Their swords clashed again, and he pushed her back. She was just fast enought to block the next attack. Yang bared her teeth and growled. But before that happened...

Yang's eyes ignited in a flash of red. Her hair flared up.

He was going to get _cut_!

She blocked the next stroke, and this time, Yang counter-attacked, prepared to retreat when he'd block her.

She _hit_.

The man cried out, leapt back.

"Bitch... _bitch_!"

He stabbed out again, but Yang blocked him, swept her sword round in a perfect diagonal down cut to his sword arm.

And hit again.

His arm sagged, hung limp. With a face screwed up in pain, he took his sword in his left hand, and struck out again, but nowhere near as strong as before. Yang blocked the stroke with force, and his sword went flying. Yang slashed across his chest, and saw the shimmer of his aura failing. He screamed. Yang couldn't believe what she had just done. She was so stunned, that she didn't realise his leg was coming round in a roundhouse kick, hitting her right in the midsection. Yang went flying and... dropped her sword. She struggled to get up as the man stepped forward, his face in agony, clutching his right arm with his left.

"Got you now. Got you now, little girl. I'll..." He raised his leg to stamp on Yang's head. Yang rolled away, unable to get to her feet, scrambling away from him. Her pistol pressed into her thigh. As the man came at her again, she drew it, aimed, fired, in one motion. The man stopped, made a choking noise, then fell to his knees. With wide-open eyes, Yang could see daylight through a gaping hole in his chest. The man fell over backwards, dead eyes staring into the sun. 

 

Yang was shaking. Her teeth were chattering. She slowly got to her feet, holstered her gun, picked up her sword, never letting the man out of her sight, half expecting him to leap up and attack her. With her sword out, she moved forward, until the sight of him removed all doubt.

He _hadn't_ been toying with her.

This had been the best he could do.

She looked at the blood on her sword. _His_ blood. She slowly moved forward, and wiped her sword on his clothes. Only then did the thought strike her.

She had _won_.

Yang sheathed her sword, and went back to fetch her shoes and her pack. She pulled them on with trembling fingers.

She had _won_! 

 

It was late when Yang got back to _Nead na Fiach Dubh_. Raven took one look at her.

"What happened?"

"We got intruders," said Yang. "He tried to kill me."

Raven smiled grimly. "Did he succeed?"

Yang patted the handle of her gun. "I'll say this for Mercy. You don't need to check their pulse afterwards."

"Who was he?"

"Don't know. Just some guy. No uniform, plain clothes. But he was looking for you. I told him you were blonde and he laughed in my face. And attacked me."

"Oh I bet he was sorry he did that."

"Yeah..." Yang stared into empty space. "I thought he was playing with me."

"We've been doing nothing except practice sword fighting for this whole month. Give yourself some credit." Raven grinned. "Not too much, but some. You're learning from the best swordfighter in Remnant!"

"If it hadn't been for you, he could have killed me," said Yang. "Mind you, if it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't _be_ here."

"Both true," said Raven.

"Totally worth it." Yang put her arm round Raven and pulled her close. "Thank you, Mom."

Raven's arms found their way round Yang's shoulders. When Yang or she didn't explode, she held her a bit tighter. Yang didn't move, kept her head on Raven's shoulder. Raven carefully patted Yang's shoulder, and Yang made a small happy noise. Allright then. She could feel Yang laughing softly.

"I love you, Mom."

Well. That was... good. 

* * *

 

Raven came into the living room. Yang was sitting on the sofa, feet to the fire. She looked round and smiled at Raven. Raven put a dark green bottle on the table. She went to the cupboard and took out two glasses and a corkscrew.

Yang pointed at the bottle. "I thought you never touched the stuff?"

Raven popped the cork and poured a little red wine into Yang's glass. Yang tasted, went 'Hm.' Raven filled Yang's glass, then her own.

"Today is special. Today is your first victory as a sword fighter." Raven held up her glass. Yang clinked it. "Our foes lie dead, while we draw breath. Ever be it so."

Yang cuddled up close to Raven, who allowed it. They sipped wine and stared into the fire.

"Is this going to mess with your plans?"

Raven shook her head. "Don't think so. If he hadn't run into you, he would have found the house and I would have killed him. They've split up to search the archipellago. He'll be missed in a few days and they'll trace him here. The timing is about right." She looked round the room. "I'll be coming home three days from now. They'll be waiting for me, but I'll spot them and get out of here. To Patch. To kick some sense into my poor daughter."

"Get her," said Yang. "Little shit is just wasting her life away."

Raven did something she'd never have thought she'd ever do. She put her arm round Yang's shoulders and pulled her close.

"All she needs is a little encouragement and a lot of practice. She'll be fine. Even if she can't count higher than five."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Was that a _finger_ joke?"

"Don't know what came over me." 

 

The bottle was nearly empty. Raven poured the last bit into Yang's glass. She was getting used to holding her daughter in her arms, but maybe it was the wine.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Tell me about Summer. About how she died."

Raven sighed. "I did promise. I suppose you need to know what we're up against. I can't even say that I rightly know myself, but they're not human, and they hate us. Faunus too, they don't seem to care about the difference."

"The Creatures of Grimm? Super-Grimm? Like that dragon?"

"Those aren't the worst. We are fighting the creatures who _made_ the Grimm. They're an old, old race, Yang. They were here before the first humans, and they plan to be there after the last human has died. They know all about human nature. Our hopes, our fears. They trained their Creatures to seek out the aggressive humans. To be attracted to anger, to fear, to hatred. Those emotions make humans strike out harder. Grimm are their heat-seeking missiles. We literally cannot wipe out the Grimm, because we need our anger to strike them down, and our anger _creates_ them. But they are not the real problem. If we all have tranquil, disciplined minds, then the Grimm will ignore us. That's why Cinder Fall tricked you into causing an outrage. Ten thousand people all angry at you. _And_ that Nikos girl. The perfect feeding ground for Grimm."

"But Cinder _is_ human. Why is she helping them?"

"Sucking up to the one that's mosty likely to win. Stupid woman. At this moment, Cinder Fall is useful, because she knows how to manipulate humans. When the last human is dead, Salem will have no more use for her. The best she can hope for is that Salem will keep her as a pet. At worst..." Raven looked at Yang. "Salem does have some twisted sense of honour. She has no love for traitors. At worst, she'll tear Cinder's mind and body to tiny shreds. I don't know what her plan is. Maybe she means to betray Salem. Maybe she counts on her gratitude. Both options will be her ruin."

"Do you know this... Salem?"

"Not from up close, thank the Stars. But I know of her. I know some of the things she can do. Nobody in the Four Kingdoms has seen her strongest lieutenants at work." Raven's voice shook, for only a moment, before she got herself back under control. "Their advanced Magisters can..." Raven searched for the right word. "Alter us. Alter our minds, so that we will obey her. Even if she orders us to kill our own families. Or ourselves."

"You can't fight against it?"

"You don't _want_ to fight against it. All that you are. All that you can do. Every shred of your abilities, will be hers to command. And you will _delight_ in it."

Yang said nothing for a few moments. An ugly picture was forming in her mind. She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't.

Raven nodded. "Yes. Summer was caught, and we could not get her out in time. When we found her, they had already started to turn her against us. She could feel it happening. Could feel herself draining away even as Taiyang held her in his arms. The desire to destroy us all."

Yang's eyes filled up with tears. She could see where this story would end.

"Tai held her. Made her look only into his eyes." Raven swallowed, coughed to clear her throat. "We all said we loved her. And then I put Tai's gun to her head, and pulled the trigger. That's how that gun got its name. Tai never used any firearm again."

Raven's face had turned to a mask more frightening than the one on her battle helmet. Fear, anger was on it. Pure hatred.

Yang put her hand on Raven's cheek.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Cry. Cry, Mom. Ain't nobody here but me. _Cry_."

Raven cried. Held by her daughter, who cried with her, all the years of holding back, all the years of cold and steel and hard resolve broke loose, and Raven cried until her voice gave out, till she lay quietly with her head on Yang's shoulder. Raven's quiet sobs stopped. She looked up at Yang.

"I'm a mess."

"Yeah," said Yang. "You always get worse before you get better." 

* * *

 

It was the last day of Raven's dearly bought time. They trained swords for a few hours, ate up all the nice things in the cold box, wandered down to the beach. Raven breathed in the sea air.

"I'm going to miss this place. It almost feels like home."

"You can come to Patch, can't you?"

"I will, to drop you off. But frankly, Tai and me in the same place is not a good idea." Raven grinned. "But I do want to see his face when he sees you now. You look good."

"That's just my disarming smile," said Yang.

"And a lot of elbow grease," said Raven.

"And you holding my hand all the way through."

"You worked hard. And it shows. Have to hand it to you."

"Oh stop finger-pointing. You're a great teacher."

Raven opened her mouth, closed it again. Yang chuckled.

"I can do this all day. I'm an old hand at puns."

Raven put her hand on Yang's shoulder, turned her back to the house.

"Come on. We need to get you a proper combat outfit. We're about the same size, except for the chest. I blame Tai's mother. She was enormous."

"I'm warning you, if you try to put me in a dress, I'll disown you."

"Perish the thought." 

 

Raven did, after all, have a decent pair of leather trousers that fitted Yang. A white shirt and a leather waistcoat completed the outfit, together with a long leather coat that Yang wore for all of fifteen seconds, then took off before she died of heatstroke. It went beautifully with her weapons belt. Yang looked at herself in the mirror.

"I need one of those thin cigars. I'm Yang 'Dead-eye' Xiao Long, the one-armed bandit."

" _No_ smoking under _my_ roof, young lady," said Raven.

"You're about to blow the entire roof clean off," said Yang.

"You may have a point there," said Raven. She opened the weapons cupboard, and turned round to Yang holding a sword in a black scabbard. "Here. Take this."

Yang gave Raven a look, then drew it. She held her breath.

"What is _this_?"

"This, my dear daughter, is what we practitioners of the Martial Arts call a _real_ sword."

The sword was perhaps an inch longer than the one Yang had been practicing with, and showed a swirling pattern of red and blue. It tapered from a hand's breadth at the hilt to a needle-sharp point. It moved in Yang's hand like an eager puppy. An eager puppy that wanted to kill people, that is.

"Whoa," said Yang.

"Well, what did you expect, a _katana_? This is my old blade. It's the same quality as what I'm using now, only I have blades with different kinds of Dust."

"Does it have a name?"

"It does. Before Team STRQ, I went through a fairly angry time until Tai reeled me in." Raven sniffed. "And got me pregnant and married me. In that order."

"I'm learning things about Dad I'm not really sure I want to know."

"The sword's name is Wrath. It's served me well. May it serve you till the end of your days." 

* * *

 

It was night. Yang and Raven were well hidden in the trees. The gathering moon shone its virgin light upon the courtyard. As they watched, dark shadows moved through the yard. They walked on two legs, had two arms, one head, but still there was something inhuman about the way they stalked through the night. The door was unlocked, and the group of people went inside. There were noises drifting out, of things being knocked about, shouts. Then, after ten minutes or so, all went quiet.

"Wipe your feet, you sods," said Yang. "I just swept that floor."

"Ssh," whispered Raven. "They have incredibly good hearing, and more senses than that, even."

About an hour passed in watchful silence. Raven looked up, pointed.

"Here I come."

There was a small noise, and a red circle appeared from out of nowhere. Out stepped Raven-of-the-past. _Their_ past, of course.

"You're looking at the back of your own head," whispered Yang. "How many people get to do that?"

"I do have a nice butt if I say so myself," said Raven, then blinked, shocked at what she had just said. Something about Yang rubbed off on people.

In the court, Past Raven stopped. Present Raven smiled. "You turned off the lights, you bastards. Including the small one in my bedroom. I never turn that off. Damn, I'm good."

Yang and Raven watched as Past Raven turned round, slashed down her red blade and leapt through the portal. Raven reached into her pocket and pulled out a small box. She pulled out the antenna, and flipped a switch. She sighed. "Farewell Raven's Nest," she said. "You were a good home. Eyes and ears, Yang."

She pressed the button, and three seconds later the world turned into an inferno of yellow flame and noise. They could feel the shockwave in their bodies. After what seemed like minutes, a deadly quiet descended on the woods. Where there had been a house, there was now a crater.

"Crap, crap, _crap_!"

Raven looked round. "What's up Yang?"

Yang rubbed her right ear. "I've got two ears and only _one_ hand!" 

 

Raven's portal took them to a place about half a mile away from Taiyang's cabin, and they walked along the path side by side. It was the early afternoon, and Yang went into the living room to start a fire.

"Tea?"

"Lovely," said Raven. She found the note that she'd written to Tai just in case something would go wrong, and dropped it in the fireplace. She sat down on the sofa. Yang handed her a cup of tea. She looked round the place. She recognised a small painting Tai had bought for her. Technically, they were still married. In practice, Raven was a ghost from the past. She hadn't seen Yang grow up, hadn't even tried to keep track of Summer's little one... Ruby? She had heard the occasional story from her brother Qrow, but when she met him, there were usually other things to think about. There was also the problem that if ever the enemy found out who she was, they would descend on this place and possess the minds of everyone inside. Raven wasn't on the best of terms with Taiyang, but that, she wished on nobody. There was power in solitude. When you are alone, everyone is an enemy or someone you don't care about.

Yang sat down next to her on the sofa, put her arm round Raven and put her head on her shoulder.

Well... So much for that strategy. 

 

Yang looked up at a sound by the door.

"Dad's home!"

She jumped up and walked into the hallway, followed by Raven, who didn't want to miss this. The door opened. Oh my. Tai looked... old. There were lines on his face that hadn't been there, but the worst was his expression. He looked _defeated_. Taiyang had always been the source of optimism in their team. Even after Summer's death, it had been Tai who had pushed them on with his unbridled strength, because you can always die later, but if you die now, you won't get another chance. But now? Taiyang looked _empty_.

"Hi Dad," said Yang.

Taiyang stopped dead, halfway through taking of his coat, and simply stared. This morning, he had left the pale, empty shell of his daughter, knowing that she would not get out of bed except to go to the bathroom. Now? Taiyang's eyes moved from detail to detail. Her face, darkened by the sun. Her clothes. The right sleeve of her shirt rolled up to the length of her stump and pinned. Supple, tight leather trousers that showed off her legs. Weapons at her belt. Taiyang put his coat on the peg, missed it, and it dropped to the floor. He ignored it, staring at the pistol he knew only too well. The sword that had belonged to... He looked at the woman standing in the door to the living room, the same little sardonic smile on her face that had drawn him to her like a moth to a candlefleme, so many years ago.

" _Raven?_ "

"Hello Tai," said Raven, walking up.

"What are you _doing_ h..." Taiyang stopped, looked at Yang again. "What have you done... How _dare_ you..."

"Dad?" Yang put her hand on her father's cheek. "She's given me my strength back."

"I gave you nothing," said Raven. "You were already strong. I just reminded you."

Taiyang growled. "Would anyone care to explain what _happened_ here this morning?"

"I'm sure she will," said Raven. "I have to go find Ozpin and learn what might be his bidding."

Yang turned round. "Mom? Can you at least stay for dinner? Can she dad?"

Raven laughed. "Yes Father, What's for dinner?" She sadly shook her head. "I really have to go Yang. My bottle is empty. And now I must earn it."

Yang turned to Raven, looked into her flaming red eyes. "Are you going to be okay? Will I see you again?"

"Trust me, sweet child of mine, I have no intention of kicking the bucket before I've seen you put all that sword training to good use. There's people out there I want to stand over the corpse of. If you continue as you started, we'll meet again."

She walked up to Taiyang, and because what the hell, no hard feelings, put her arms round his neck and kissed him.

"Take good care of her, Tai. Her back hand diagonal upcut needs a little work, but she'll train like a maniac."

Raven turned to Yang, trying to remember every detail on her face for days to come. Yang's smile burnt into her mind.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Yang."

Raven put on her frightening mask. Looked at both Taiyang and Yang for one more time. She drew her red blade, slashed it down. She stepped through her portal. The portal winked out. Yang drew close to her father, put her arm round his shoulder.

"Well," said Yang Xiao Long. "I'm home." 


End file.
